RZA's kung fu epic journeys to Blu.

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February 13, 2013

Wu-Tang founder RZA makes directorial debut with The Man with the Iron Fists, which tells the story of a deep-seated conflict between competing bands of warriors, a devious madame (Lucy Liu) and her brothel, as well as a ruthless British emissary (Russell Crowe), who all descend upon a small village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith (RZA) winds up getting caught in the fray. It's a tale that doesn't entirely follow through on its ambitious premise, but for fans of the kung fu genre, there is definitely a lot to enjoy here.

Despite Iron Fists' hobbled execution, RZA's love of martial arts flicks is prevalent throughout the picture. It's clear that the filmmaker has a solid understanding of why he loves these types of movies, even if his own doesn't quite rise to the occasion. Iron Fists' bloody and hyperreal opening title sequence is perhaps the best evidence of what RZA had in mind when he started developing his love letter to East Asian cinema, and there's no denying the film's clever use of wirework and sublime imagery to sell that notion. The production's use of authentic Chinese locations also offers a sense of visual grandeur.

Where Iron Fists falls apart is in its contrived mythology. While it's obvious that RZA and co-writer Eli Roth spent a lot of time developing this complex universe filled with warring clans, mystic ideologies and thorough backstories, none of those ever become fully realized over the course of the movie, even with the Unrated Edition's extended runtime. Instead of a restrained, balanced narrative, the director spends more time cramming in as many tributes to past works as he can, without establishing his own unique style. As a result, Iron Fists becomes less of a modern spin on a classic genre and more of a muddy, bombastic tribute video.

That's not to say the film isn't without its entertainment value. Iron Fists' over-the-top fight sequences are among some of its strongest moments, and the choreography is, on the whole, impressive. Admittedly, RZA is probably the weakest link in terms of both fighting and acting. However, martial artists Rick Yune, Byron Mann and Cung Le add some credibility to the choreo, and Russell Crowe turns out a fun performance as the gunblade-slinger Jack Knife.

As for the Blu-ray's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer, Iron Fists looks stunning. The colors are rich and highly saturated, with deep blacks and level midtones. The image is decidedly crisp and clear, opting out of the genre's traditional grindhouse look in favor of a more contemporary presentation. The details here are excellent and for the most part they bolster the feature's lofty eye for composition. Occasionally, some of the film's weaker visual effects are exposed in the high definition resolution, but never enough to take you out of it. On the contrary, in some instances, it feels like these effects may have been left unpolished intentionally. In either case, the pic looks great on home video.

The Blu-ray set includes two cuts of Iron Fists: the R-rated theatrical release and the aforementioned Unrated Extended Edition, which includes 12 minutes of additional footage. The two-disc set also comes with some pretty anemic featurettes: "A Look Inside The Man with the Iron Fists," "A Path to the East," and a five-part series of one-minute promos called "On the Set with RZA" -- all of which aren't nearly as in-depth or insightful as one might hope.

In truth, the most valuable extras is probably the deleted scene titled "The Saga of Gold Lion." In the final film, RZA briskly and carelessly narrates the setup for what eventually becomes the rest of the movie, via montage, leaving casual viewers scratching their heads later on. But in "The Saga of Gold Lion," we're shown a 14-minute prelude that utilizes much of that same footage, this time with contextual dialogue and scenes that I believe are somewhat essential to the skim and shallow plot. After that, though, the rest of the deleted scenes are mostly fluff, as you might expect.

The Man with the Iron Fists is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.

The Verdict

If you can look past its messy plot and overly referential presentation, The Man with the Iron Fists is likely to entertain any fan of kung fu. It's probably not worth a full-price purchase, but definitely a rental. In terms of special features, it's a hit-or-miss affair.